By Trevor Hanrahan.
On Wednesday, April 12, the Labor Relations and Employment Law Society hosted a panel that discussed how to launch a career in sports law. First year student Andre Oge explained what drove him to attend, “I expected to get great advice on an area that I knew I liked, but I didn’t know a lot about.” Overall, the event proved to be a valuable and informative experience for all who attended.
The panelists began the session with introductions. Katelyn Cannella was a college athlete who always wanted a career in sports. After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, she clerked for the Hon. Richard Wesley of the Second Circuit. Judge Wesley urged Ms. Canella to contact the lead partner in Skadden Arps’ Antitrust practice group to pursue her goal of working in sports law. Ms. Canella recently transitioned from Skadden’s Antitrust practice group, where she represented major sports leagues such as the NCAA and MLB, to an in-house position at the NBA.
Jeff Fannell ’96 likes to say he is a college dropout. He withdrew from Michigan State University and finished his undergraduate degree at St. John’s years later. Despite his initial rejection from St. John’s Law, Fannell persisted and wrote the Dean of the Law school and ultimately landed an in-person meeting and an admission to the law school. While at St. John’s Law, he focused on Labor Law. He now provides a full array of consulting services to professional athletes, their agents, and leading sports organizations. Prior to his consulting role, Mr. Fannell worked for the NLRB and was the Assistant General Counsel of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
David Holesworth ’16 rounded out the panel. As a college student interning for the Knicks, Holesworth met David Falk, the legendary sports agent whose clients include icons such as Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing. Mr. Holesworth was unsure if he wanted to attend law school until Mr. Falk convinced him it was crucial if he wanted to be an agent for athletes. While at St. John’s, Mr. Holesworth was President of the Labor Relations and Employment Law Society. Currently, he works for Endeavor, connecting athletes with brands, as well as part-time for the New York Knicks.
The panelists then described what it is like working with big egos in the sports world. Both Mr. Fannell and Mr. Holesworth stressed that athletes are not looking for another fan or a friend, but an advocate. Ms. Canella stressed the hard work and preparation required to work in sports law. First year student James Goodridge said he learned that “hard work is necessary but not sufficient to achieve success in the sports industry, as you also need to have quality.”
Mr. Fannell further explained that at the end of the day there is no substitute for effort. As an example, he told the story of when he was asked to represent a hockey player. He knew very little about the sport or the NHL, so to prepare himself Mr. Fannell reached out for some help and learned as much as he could about hockey so that he could be an effective advocate.
The panelists ended by providing some advice for current students. First, they explained that there is no such thing as “sports law,” but rather, there are sports-related fields like contracts, marketing, labor, and antitrust. They stressed that students who want to get into “sports law” should focus on classes in those fields. Second, they suggested that students should consider getting experience on the labor side if they wish to represent players. Finally, the panelists urged students to become knowledgeable about sports and the law through means like the Sports Business Journal.
Once more, the Labor Relations and Employment Law Society would like to thank the panelists for their time and advice. For students hoping to get more involved in the labor or employment fields, St. John’s law offers a variety of classes for students to further explore these interests.
